Cave In
by MrFoshizzlePro
Summary: Seeking shelter from the rain, the Kenshin-gumi rush into a cave as a last resort. However, little do they know what awaits for them upon entering the cave... DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

.

**Cave In**

by: MrFoshizzlePro

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Rurouni Kenshin is soul property of the genius mind of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

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><p><em><span>Chapter 1<span>_

Rain was pouring down from the blackening clouds. Muddy puddles dotted the ground as Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke and Megumi ran through the storm, trying desperately to seek shelter. A bolt of lightning cracked overhead, followed by a low rumble of thunder. The winds were beginning to pick up; they were howling.

As the rest of the group ran ahead, Sanosuke slipped to a halt before the entrance to a cave. The cave was large with a pitch black opening. There was no way to peer inside of it, for the darkness proved to be too thick. However, a grin formed on the gangster's face and he hollered back to his friends.

"Hey, guys! I think I found a place we could stay until this storm lets up! Whatdya think?"

Immediatly, the group was by Sanosuke's side and were looking into the cave. Doubtful looks washed over each one of their faces. Kaoru hissed, "You idiot! It's too dark in there! There's no way I'm staying here!"

"Sessha agrees," commented Kenshin, sweatdropping. "It is far too dark to be staying in a cave such as this, that it is. I believe it would be best if we were to find someplace else."

"But..." Sanosuke was baffled by his friend's disagreements.

"I don't know about you," Yahiko put in, picking at his ear nonchalantly. "But, I'd rather go with Kenshin's idea than yours. No offense, Sano."

"I agree!" Megumi exclaimed. She glared with annoyance at Sanosuke. "Besides, you've gotten us into a lot of trouble with your poor sense of direction, let alone lack of instinct."

"HEY! SINCE WHEN-"

Lightning cracked and the thunder roared viciously. The storm was beginning to grow worse with each passing second. There was no other options. "See? We have to go in, or we'll get drenched and catch pneumonia, baka's!" pointed out Sanosuke, frustrated. Everyone casted eachother glances filled with uncertainty. However, a final flash of lightning and another wild thunder rumble made up their minds.

And so, everyone hurried into the dark recesses of the cave, the shadows swallowing them inside.

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><p><em>Owari<em>


	2. Chapter 2

.

**Cave In**

by: MrFoshizzlePro

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Rurouni Kenshin is soul property of the genius mind of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

* * *

><p><em><span>Chapter 2<span>_

"Hey, watch where your steppin', Vixen!"

"Me? How about you watch who your shoving, you blasted Rooster-head!"

"Now, now everyone...let's not argue, okay?"

"Kenshin? Kenshin! I can't see!"

"Welcome to the club, busu. Congratulations! You just won your 'Pointing-out-the-obvious' badge!"

"Shut up!"

**Bonk**

"Oroooo!"

"Oh, Kenshin! I'm sorry! I meant to hit Yahiko."

"Calm your horses," Sanosuke said, rummaging through his jacket pockets blindly. "If my hunch is correct, I should have a box of matches somewhere in one of my pockets..."

"Oro? Matches?" Kenshin blinked.

"Why in the world would you have matches on you?" Kaoru questioned anxiously. Though it went unseen, Sanosuke's eye slightly twitched. "Ah-here they are!" He pulled out the box and smirked triumphantly. He fumbled through the box until he grasped one of the matches with his fingers and picked it out. "Alright! Now all we need is something we can light..."

"Oro!"

"Kenshin! Are you okay?"

The rurouni had fallen onto the ground, rubbing his head, wincing. "Sessha is not sure. I feel like something just hit me upside the head, that I did." Curious, he felt around upon the stone floor until his fingertips touched what felt like wood. Running his hand over it, Kenshin discovered it was some type of torch and that there were two of them lying side-by-side.

Kenshin picked both the torches up and struggled to his feet. He murmured, intrigued, "These torches don't seem to have been used at all, that they most certainly do not." He looked up into the face of darkness and called out to Sanosuke. "Sano!" he called. "I found two torches we could light!"

"Great!" Sanosuke began to edge his way toward the sound of his friend's voice. "Just stay where you are, Kenshin. Keep talking until I find ya!"

"Oro?" Kenshin scratched his head, perplexed. "Talk about what?" he asked.

"Anything!"

He shook his head, sighing. "Sessha feels like he is only granted talking permission for personal gain, that I do. This is a most awkward situation..."

"Found ya!"

Sanosuke felt his hand finally come in contact with someone's shoulder. He grinned. "Hey, Kenshin?" he began. "This you?" He recieved a sharp blow to the face in response. "You idiot!" It was Kaoru. "Kenshin is right next to me, thank you." Muttering, she added, "Stupid..."

Kenshin stepped in front of Kaoru and handed over the torches. He chuckled, sweatdropping. "Here you go, Sano," he said. "These are the torches sessha found, they are." Sanosuke dipped his head greatfully to the rurouni, took the match and striked it across the box's surface.

_Snt!_

The match lit as fast as a candle. Sanosuke quickly took the torches and lit them both, watching the burning embers turn red and the flames flicker to life. Now, they were finally able to see. He gave Kenshin the second torch, telling him, "Take this. You're probably more capable of watching a torch than the other three." Kenshin nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Sano."

And so, they began to explore their shelter.

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><p>Kenshin stared up in wonderment at the stalagmite hanging down like icicles from the cave's roof. Never before had he seen rocks so long, jagged and spiked. He was surprised they were able to withstand the gravity that would one day bring them down.<p>

"This is a most interesting cave," he whispered. "That it is." Something nudged him from the side, causing him to smack into the stone wall slightly. He looked and saw it was Yahiko. "Hey, don't waste your breath sight-seeing," the boy told Kenshin. "There ain't nothing here except a bunch of dumb old rocks! Why waste time looking at rocks that you could see any day when you _could _be wasting your time hanging out with the busu?" At this, Yahiko snickered.

Kenshin looked at the boy with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean by that, Yahiko?" he asked. Yahiko replied, "I mean, just go and talk to her, wouldya!" He shook his spikey head. "Sheesh, your such a hopeless romance, Kenshin..."

**BONK!**

"OUCH!" Yahiko gripped his head.

"Shut up and leave poor Kenshin alone, Yahiko!" Kaoru demanded. "In case you didn't notice, I've been walking right behind you two nearly the entire time. Kenshin can talk to me any time he chooses, so quit bugging him about it, would you?"

The pupil grumbled something under his breath before trailing away in Sanosuke's direction, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru alone together.

Kenshin smiled. "Miss Kaoru?"

"Y-yes?" Kaoru glanced at him hurriedly, blushing in embarrassment at her sudden haste. He shut his eyes and continued to smile. "It would seem that we finally have some alone time together, that we do. Would you like to talk about something?"

"Oh..." Her blue eyes wandered around. Sure enough, she discovered that he was right. Then, she smiled and returned her gaze back to him. The light from the flaming torch danced across Kenshin's face and into his brilliant violet eyes. She said, "Um...well-what would you like to talk about, Kenshin? You always seem to ask me what I want to talk about...so, what would you like to talk about?"

He blinked, but once the understanding shone across his face, he smiled once more and stared on ahead. "Now that you mention it, there is something sessha would like to ask of you." Kaoru watched his facial expression change instantly and knew this must be something serious. "Yes?" she urged him. Now, she was dying to know, and not knowing what he wanted to ask was killing her.

He went on. "I was wondering, Miss Kaoru, if maybe after this you would like to-"

"WATCH OUT YOU TWO!"

"Huh?"

"ORO?"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake. The stalagmite quivered above, bits and pieces of rock decending and crashing onto the stone floor. Realization dawned upon Kenshin, but the realization had struck him too late as large chunks of rock began falling downward toward him and Kaoru.

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><p><em>Owari<em>


	3. Chapter 3

.

**Cave In**

by: MrFoshizzlePro

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Rurouni Kenshin is soul property of the genius mind of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

_**Quick Authors Note: I thank you, P.P.V.V, for telling me the Japanese word for 'To Be Continued...' ^^; I am very grateful. Now on with the story :)**_

_**P.S. A thousand apologies if this chapter is rather short. I'm having a difficult time with Writer's Block.**_

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><p><em><span>Chapter 3<span>_

"KENSHIN!"

Upon hearing his name called, Kenshin whirled around, frantically searching for the person who he knew had said his name. "Miss Kaoru!" he shouted. He lashed the torch side-to-side in an attempt of catching sight of her. "Kenshin, I'm over here!" Finally, he found Kaoru, trapped on the other side of the cave behind a growing pile of dirt and rocks. Immediatly, Kenshin rushed to her as fast as his god-like speed would allow for him to go. Then, he wrapped his arms protectively around her body, using his back as a shield as a flood of dirt poured from the roof.

Kaoru scrabbled under his weight, trying desperately to free herself so she could see if he was okay. She was stopped by the sudden thought that struck fear into her heart. She exclaimed worriedly, "Where are Yahiko and the others?"

Kenshin's eyebrows raised. Yahiko, Sanosuke and Megumi had only been with them not so long ago, but now they were no where to be found. He tried calling out to them against the stinging pain of rocks bashing and scraping across his back.

"Sano! Yahiko! Miss Megumi!"

No one replied. The pain was becoming unbearable. Kenshin knew it would be only a matter of heartbeats before he passed out. As he called out one last time, a voice echoed from afar, saying, "We're okay, Kenshin! Keep the little missy safe. Yahiko, Megumi and I are gonna try and find some way to get through to your side before the cave fully closes us off from eachother. Just hold on! We'll be right there!"

But Kenshin hadn't a chance of hearing them now. He had blacked out entirely long before Sanosuke had explained what they had planned, and Kaoru was left with his unconcious body as their friends tried desperately to find a way through.

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><p>With a final grunt, Kaoru managed to push the weight of Kenshin's body off of herself and carefully move his body onto the floor. Her heart was racing in a panic. She had no idea what to do. "Kenshin, please, wake up." Kaoru shook him vigorously, trying to get him concious, but to no avail. She ran her fingers through her bangs, worried and frightened.<p>

_What am I going to do? _she wondered.

Suddenly, the muffled echo of Sanosuke's voice coming from someplace nearby. He shouted, "Hey, little missy! Kenshin! Are you two all right?" Relieved, Kaoru yelled back, "Sanosuke! We're okay! Where are you? And are Yahiko and Megumi safe?"

In a heartbeat, Kaoru scrabbled to her knees and pulled herself up to search around the dark cave. The only light came from the sunlight streaming through the cave's roof and the torch still brightly lit on the ground. Hastily, she picked up the torch and shined the light around her surroundings. Her eyebrows raised in horror, for directly in front of her was a large pile of dirt and rock that touched the tip of the roof.

They had experienced a cave in.

She quickly rushed to the rocks and desperately tried heaving the heavy stones out. It proved to be of no use. The rocks were just too heavy to be moved.

"We're all fine! Yahiko might've twisted his ankle, but otherwise, we're managing fine."

"That's good." Kaoru sighed in relief. "But what now? We're all seperated from eachother."

"Not to worry." Sanosuke grinned, saying, "I think if we try, we could find a way out of this place." Behind him, Megumi glowered. She murmured, "Oh yes, especially since we have _your _help. We'll definately make it out of here for sure."

His grin faultered and a tense mark pulsated on his forhead. "HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN?"

Kaoru turned her hands to tightened fists. Her patience was beginning to wear thin. "Please, would you two quick fighting for just a moment!" she exclaimed. "In case you haven't noticed, we're in too much of a bad situation to be biting at each other's throats!" She was now wishing that Kenshin were awake to calm the group down.

_Speaking of Kenshin..._

She peered back curiously to see how the unconcious rurouni was making out. He was gone. Her eyes stretched and her mouth dropped open in a silent scream.

_Kenshin! Where are you?_

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><p><em>Tsuzuku<em>


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